Ready Fuels
by SleepieCareBear
Summary: HHr fluff. Written from Hermione's provision. please rr


Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

I don't know what it was about him. What made me fall in love with him. My best friend. 

I shouldn't have. Every fiber in my body knew this. But still I fell. And let me tell you, I fell hard. 

I tried to ignore it. I tried to go on as if I didn't feel anything for him. Strictly platonic, they way it had always been. But sometimes I found myself staring at him, enthralled at how soft his hair looked. Or maybe it was lips; oh how I longed to feel them against mine. However as soon as I would realize what I was doing I would quickly shake myself and look away. It was wrong of me. 

This particular evening I found myself in the library. Not reading, but staring over the top of my book, enchanted with his hands as he turned the pages of his book across from me. I kept thinking about how nice they would feel around my waist if we danced; or buried in my hair while we kissed. The very thoughts sent shivers down my spine. 

I licked my lips and was about to turn back to my book when he looked up at me. "Are you cold?" he asked. Aw hell, he'd noticed the shivers. 

"No," I replied too quickly, a light blush dusting my cheeks as I ducked back behind my book. Honestly, who was this girl staring at her best friend - fantasizing about him! - whilst trying to study? Certainly not me, study obsessive Hermione Granger. Oh, but it was. 

He blinked, and glanced down at his book momentarily before looking back up at me. "Where's Ron?" he asked suddenly, as if only just realizing his absence. 

"He had detention with Professor Snape tonight, remember, Harry?" I asked. How could he have forgotten? 

"Oh. Oh yeah, right." This time it was his turn to blush. "It must be all this studying; it's fogging up my brain!" he laughed. I smiled back. Have I mentioned how much I love his laugh? He didn't laugh very much these days and it was good to hear him laugh, even if it was just nervous twitter. 

"Care to air it out?" He'd returned to his book by now, and looked up, apparently quite started by my suggestion.

"Pardon?" he asked. 

"Your brain. Would you care to air it out? Perhaps an escapade around the lake?" I elaborated, hoping he would stop looking at me like that. It didn't happen. He continued to stare blankly at me for several minutes. "Okay, I guess not," I said finally, regretting I'd ever asked. 

"No!" he exclaimed, sounding almost alarmed. It was enough to send my heart aflutter. Possibly he actually wished to take a stroll with me around the lake? At night. Alone. 

"I mean, I think that's a good idea. I could use a break…and a breath of fresh air."

"Great!" I grinned at him. My heart doing summersaults inside my chest. He'd agreed to go on an escapade around the lake with me! Not that we'd never done this before, so you know, I really shouldn't have been so flushed with excitement over the fact that he'd said yes. It was really no surprise. Maybe it was those fantasizes still floating around my head….

We were walking around the lake in comfortable silence when I started shivering again. Only, this time I really was cold. I'd carelessly forgotten my cloak. However, in my defence, I would just like to point out that Harry Potter had just agreed to abandon studying to go for a walk with me. Me! Even though - I had to keep reminding myself - this was really no big feat. 

Anyway, Harry had again noticed my shivers - am I spotting a trend? - and didn't even bother asking if I was cold this time. Instead, he simply unclasped his own cloak and draped it around my shoulders. It was big and swallowed me up, engulfing me in the warmth that still clung to it. But let me just tell you, Harry's cloak? Yeah, it smelled _nice. _

I'd fallen a few steps behind him, finding it hard to walk and not trip over the long hem of his cloak. So you really can't blame me for what happened next.

I mean, it wasn't _my_ fault I didn't see the tree root there, all right? After all, it was dark! So when in my trouble of trying to avoid tripping on the cloak, I tripped on a tree root, I stumbled before finally hurling forward with a tiny shriek. I was fully prepared to hit the hard ground in front of me, too. Only, that never happened. Instead, I found myself fastened safely in strong arms. I was in Harry's arms! Now _that_ truly was a feat!

"Are you okay?" he asked me. I licked my lips nervously before looking up into his eyes. I nodded my head yes, and had just begun to open my mouth to breath out a thank you, when suddenly something was preventing me. Harry had pressed his lips against mine. _Harry kissed me!_

By the time my mind had processed this information Harry had already pulled away and begun to stutter out apologies. At first I was offended. I mean, was kissing me really such a bad thing? But then I actually decided to listen to what he was saying. 

"- I mean, I understand if you're mad…" Mad? I was down right giddy. "But I don't want this to hurt our friendship."

Okay, I don't know about you, but I'd heard enough. I then proceeded to shut Harry up, by promptly covering his mouth with mine. Might I add it worked quite well. He immediately stopped talking and kissed me back, though, I noticed, a little unsurely. I pulled away briefly; to look into his bright green eyes and try to reassure him I wanted this. Most definitely. 

He seemed to get my drift because he quickly closed the space between us, gathering me in his arms and once again meshing his lips with my own. The kiss deepened; and his hands? Yeah, one held me firmly around the lower back the other _did_ get lost in my hair, sporting the back of my head. But it wasn't his hands that were sending shivers of pleasure down my back. Kissing Harry was ecstasy. 

Oh, and I lied earlier. When I said I regretted asking Harry to go for a walk. I totally didn't. regret it, I mean. Not at all. 


End file.
